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Miggy on pace for one of highest All-Star vote totals

Miggy on pace for one of highest All-Star vote totals

FOX updates the vote tallies for the American League All-Star team with Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera leading the pack

By John Schlegel
/
MLB.com |

Miguel Cabrera continues to do remarkable things between the lines, and his performance is being reflected in the ballot box as the 2013 All-Star Game approaches.

Cabrera, threatening to make a run at a second consecutive Triple Crown and another Most Valuable Player Award, leads all American League vote-getters by a long shot with 3,277,890 total votes as of Saturday's latest balloting update -- a good start toward one of the top All-Star voting totals in history.

While Cabrera has left the field at third base in the wake of his powerful right-handed swing, several other races remain up for grabs as time ticks inside a month from the All-Star Game, to be played July 16 at Citi Field in New York.

No AL race is closer than the one for the third outfield spot, with the Orioles' Nick Markakis overtaking the Tigers' Torii Hunter for the third starting spot, behind a neck-and-neck battle for the top spot among outfielders between the Orioles' Adam Jones and the Angels' Mike Trout.

The Orioles' Chris Davis, the Majors' leader in home runs, retains his solid lead at first base, and shortstop J.J. Hardy is holding on to give Baltimore four players in current starting positions. They're joined by catcher Joe Mauer of the Twins, second baseman Robinson Cano of the Yankees and designated hitter David Ortiz of the Red Sox among players leading their respective positions.

There's still plenty of time for jockeying for position and millions of votes yet to be counted.

Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or on a mobile device -- using the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot until Thursday, July 4, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots, but can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, you must be logged into your MLB.com account when you submit any online ballot. If you do not have an MLB.com account, register on the site in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Just how far Cabrera's run to become top vote-getter might go remains to be seen, but he's not too far behind the record pace set last year by Josh Hamilton -- the current Angels outfielder then with the Rangers. Hamilton set an all-time record with 11,073,744 votes, shattering the previous record of 7,454,753 set in 2011 by Toronto's Jose Bautista. Hamilton had 3,833,504 votes as of June 11 last year. Cabrera, leading the AL in average and RBIs and second in homers, might not have quite that many so far, but he's in the same ballpark.

Davis, meanwhile, continues to earn as much of a wallop of support as he has been delivering with his Majors-leading 21 homers. Davis leads first basemen and ranks second to Cabrera with 2,999,094 votes, leaving Detroit's Prince Fielder well behind in second place at first with 1,980,129.

Up the middle of the infield, the leaders are starting to settle into their positions. Cano (2,409,512) maintains a healthy lead over Boston's Dustin Pedroia (1,635,674) at second base. At short, Hardy (1,871,010) has opened up a lead of more than 500,000 votes over Elvis Andrus of Texas.

The AL outfield race will continue to be one to watch. While Jones (2,740,505) and Trout (2,710,115) are well away in their battle for the top spot, Markakis (1,463,392) holds a lead of fewer than 40,000 votes over Hunter, and Bautista of the Blue Jays, Nelson Cruz of the Rangers and Nate McLouth of the Orioles staying within striking distance.

Meanwhile, Mauer (2,127,175) has built a comfortable lead over the Orioles' Matt Wieters at catcher and Ortiz (2,488,451) is pulling away from the Rangers' Lance Berkman at DH.

While millions have been counted, the voting really has just begun, and it won't be over until the All-Star Game itself is complete.

Fans this year once again can participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league who they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2013 Home Run Derby -- part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day -- will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 15.

Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or via a mobile device -- using the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot until Thursday, July 4, at 8:59 p.m. PT.

Fans may submit 25 online ballots during the voting period but can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, fans must be logged into an MLB.com account when submitting any online ballot. To obtain an MLB.com account, visit www.mlb.com and register in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Fans can also once again participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league whom they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2013 Home Run Derby -- part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day -- will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 15.

Though originally scheduled for July 7, the 2013 rosters will now be unveiled Saturday, July 6, at 6:30 p.m. ET on the 2013 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Taco Bell. The show will be televised nationally on FOX.

From Saturday, July 6 to Thursday, July 11, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2013 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by freecreditscore.com for the final player for each League's All-Star roster.

And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2013 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the official vote determining the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

The 2013 All-Star Game will be played at Citi Field on Tuesday, July 16. Come to MLB.com for extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.

The 84th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM also will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.